Southern California -- this just in

West Hollywood carport is another suspicious arson blaze

December 31, 2011 | 9:53
pm

Firefighters raced to yet another suspicious carport blaze, this one in West Hollywood, bringing to at least four the number of vehicle fires set since just before 6 p.m. this evening, authorities said.

Los Angeles County firefighters were called to 1035 N. Sweetzer Avenue in West Hollywood around 8:30 p.m. They found an apartment house carport with two vehicles in flames and spent 25 minutes dousing it, said Don Kunitomi, an on-scene fire inspector.

Kunitomi said that the circumstances of the fire are similar to others plaguing the area since early Friday morning but that investigators are still examining the charred remains.

The fire was at least the fourth of the night. Two vehicle blazes started close to each other in Hollywood, followed by a third in a massive parking structure at Hollywood and Highland around 7:07 p.m.

No one has been hurt in the fires. Damage in the first three was minimal but the West Hollywood carport appears to have suffered heavy damage, along with the two cars parked underneath, Kunitomi said.

Authorities are fearful that they face yet another long night of rushing from one fire to another as an arsonist continues to terrorize the city.

The fires are the latest in a string. Early Friday morning, 21 fires were started in a relatively small area around Hollywood and West Hollywood. On Friday night and Saturday morning, 17 others were reported. They were similar to the ones in the Hollywood area but were spread out over a much larger area.